Global warming is the gradual heating of the Earth and its atmosphere. Every ecosystem on the planet has been or will be affected by this process. Many signs have already been detected and the evidence shows it will get exponentially worse if there is not a dramatic change. Glaciers are melting, lakes and rivers are lessening, coastal areas are eroding, corals are dying, forest fires are spreading, and wildlife is forced into migrating and fighting for survival. These are some major effects of the global climate rising one degree Fahrenheit over the past century. Simon Tett, a Hadley Centre climate specialist from the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research says "We'll have a better idea of the actual changes in thirty years. But it's going to be a very different world"(Morell, p.75). Temperatures will continues to rise in the future, magnifying the environmental problems it causes.

The driving factor in global warming is the increase of greenhouse gases.

The Earth seen from Apollo 17.

English: Landsat 7 false colour image of the Nile ...

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Co...

Carbon dioxide is the main contributor, but it also includes mercury, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, methane, and others. More is being released into the atmosphere than ever in the history of human existence. Research that has been done up to this point shows that humans are the main cause of this phenomenon. These gases are released mainly through deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Scientists have measured the amount of carbon in many areas around the world with the use of airplanes, weather stations, and ships. They found the carbon levels, mainly in the atmosphere and ocean water, have risen all over the planet. The Northern Hemisphere has become a larger sink for carbon because this is where most cars are driven and industry takes place. This larger excess of carbon cannot be completely...

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5 pages64Mar/20091.0

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